Read a full match report of the Guinness Premiership play-off semi-final
between Northampton Saints and Saracens at Franklin's Gardens on Sunday 16
May, 2010.

Schalk Brits might yet miss the Guinness Premiership final, but Saracens’ inspirational hooker ensured that at least his club would be there when he scored a dramatic late try at Franklin’s Gardens on Sunday.

Brits goes before a Rugby Football Union disciplinary hearing on Tuesday, charged with unsporting conduct over a gesture he made to the crowd at Welford Road a week ago, and will be desperately hoping not to be suspended for the final – against Leicester – on Saturday week.

The Springbok’s try, from a second shunt after a line-out drive just three minutes from time, stole a stunning victory for the London club, and the fact that it came against the run of play was of no consequence to Saracens.

Brendan Venter’s side have earned their place in the final the hard way, having already won at Franklin’s Gardens and Welford Road in successive weeks in the lead-up to this game. It is a momentum that could take them all the way to the Premiership title in Venter’s first season in charge.

The dramatic finale only added to the sense of occasion for the fifth meeting between the sides this season, in a game that had been billed as a grudge match.

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Northampton’s director of rugby, Jim Mallinder, last week accused Saracens of gloating by singing triumphally after their recent victory at Franklin’s Gardens. Mallinder also claimed that a Saracens player had phoned Saints prop Brian Mujati to see if he fancied moving to Vicarage Road.

Relations between the clubs had already been soured when Northampton prop Soane Tonga’uiha opted to remain at Franklin’s Gardens after initially committing himself to joining Saracens.

Yet there was no bad blood. “Saracens are a good team and have proved that over the last few weeks without a doubt,” Mallinder conceded. “To go to Leicester and win there and to come here twice and win here makes them a very good team.”

Yet it could so easily have been Northampton who were celebrating at the end. Leading 19-14 before Brits’s try, the home side could still have won the contest at the death as they drove and drove again to set up a dropped-goal opportunity.

Inexplicably, Northampton fly-half Stephen Myler delayed his attempt and when a tackle by Chris Wyles eventually forced a turnover, former All Blacks scrum-half Justin Marshall joyfully kicked the ball into touch to prolong his illustrious career by another game before he retires.

Victory was the perfect birthday present for Brits, who turned 29 on Sunday. “That was the most physical and toughest game I have ever played,” he said.

“We were lucky at the end of the day. We said at the beginning there was something special happening at Saracens and we are not the finished product but we are getting there.”

Like Brits, Venter must also appear at the disciplinary hearing tomorrow, in his case to face charges of conduct prejudicial to the interests of the game for allegedly pushing a female supporter from Leicester and making provocative and inappropriate gestures and comments to spectators at the same game.

While Venter insisted that his preparations for the final would not be affected by the case, he said his side had earned the right to sing in the changing rooms afterwards.

“It was a little bit uncomfortable but that is what we do as a team,” Venter said. “It is part of the culture we are creating at Saracens and I know Jim won’t mind that.

“We could have lost that and I would have been as proud of them as I am now. They tackled their hearts out, ran at them and played some beautiful rugby at times.”

On that yardstick, Saracens definitely had the edge. Their first touchdown, by Alex Goode, was prompted by a classic counter-attack from Michael Tagicakibau and involved sweet hands by Brits.

Yet Northampton still led 8-7 at the break, thanks to a tremendous charge up the touchline by Tonga’uiha, who raced over from just inside the Saracens half after an offload by Dylan Hartley.

Myler slotted a penalty at the start of the second half to go with his first-half effort, but Saracens struck again from nowhere, Hugh Vyvyan’s floated pass putting Wyles over for a try following a sharp break by Goode.

When Mujati was driven over for a try after a line-out take by Roger Wilson, Northampton still looked to be in control. But their decision not to go for goal with a kickable penalty and extend their lead beyond one score looked likely to be a costly error, and so it proved.